Stephen Root

A gifted and immensely likeable character actor, Stephen Root's staggering résumé crossed into multiple genres and mediums, despite the average viewer most likely knowing him more by face than by name. Root achieved his most prolific success with two roles: the stapler-obsessed cubicle rat Milton in the cult comedy "Office Space" (1999) and the oddball billionaire Jimmy James on the sitcom "NewsRadio" (NBC, 1995-99). Often appearing as various legal professionals, grieving fathers, Southern sheriffs, military men or football coaches on television shows like "In the Heat of the Night" (NBC, 1988-94) and "Boston Legal" (ABC, 2004-08), Root also gave solid supporting turns in movies as diverse as "Bicentennial Man" (1999) and "No Country for Old Men" (2007), and lent his voice to such projects as the animated series "King of the Hill" (Fox, 1997-2010), the Pixar blockbuster "Finding Nemo" (2003) and even videogames. Root's scene-stealing work went on to enhance a number of projects over the years, attracting the attention of such respected talents as the Coen Brothers, Mike Judge and George Clooney. Determined to avoid typecasting, Root made sure to regularly alternate between comedy and drama, and his experience in both disciplines, gained via years of work in regional theater and the National Shakespeare Company, provided him with an excellent skill set to portray a wide array of people, average and otherwise.